My friend Bryan created this music video to promote environmental responsibility and raise knowledge of a problem. I would like to share it with you here.
Here is an email he sent to give it some context. I hope you take a moment to watch the video and read about Mountaintop Removal. Thank you!
Hi everyone.
Today, I am happy to share with you a music video I’ve wanted to make for over a year. Last Spring, after learning about a destructive form of coal mining called “Mountaintop Removal (MTR),” I composed a song called “500 Mountains” to draw attention to the 500+ mountains that have been destroyed in West Virginia and surrounding States. This process has resulted in thousands of miles of streams being buried, the pollution of the drinking water of millions, floods of coal slurry (water + coal waste) poisoning communities and the flattening of some of our nation’s most biologically diverse land, a size the equivalent of Delaware.
I first heard about mountaintop removal through my cousin, who lived in West Virginia for many months and witnessed first hand what MTR is doing to our country. It went from being an issue I’ve never heard of to an issue at the forefront of my mind. That’s why I am so grateful to be able to share this with you today. Through word of mouth, social networking and email, this issue can receive the urgent awareness and attention it desperately needs.
To view this short 2 minute film / music video, please go to www.youtube.com/bryanwebermusic or click here. This will give you a powerful visual introduction to mountaintop removal.
If you’d like to learn more about this issue and find out how you can break your State’s connection to mountaintop removal coal, please visit: www.ilovemountains.org
Thank you for taking the time to watch my video and learn more about this important cause.
Please forward on to family and friends and share anyway you can.
Regards,
Bryan
Montclair, NJ
What is mountaintop removal? According to EarthJustice.org, “Mountaintop removal coal mining, is an extremely destructive form of mining that is devastating Appalachia. Coal companies first raze an entire mountainside, ripping trees from the ground and clearing brush with huge tractors. This debris is then set ablaze as deep holes are dug for explosives. An explosive is poured into these holes and mountaintops are literally blown apart. In the past few decades, over 2,000 miles of streams and headwaters that provide drinking water for millions of Americans have been permanently buried and destroyed. An area the size of Delaware has been flattened. Local coal field communities routinely face devastating floods and adverse health effects. Natural habitats in some our country’s oldest forests are laid to waste.”
Moving Pictures 